Jammu, May 6:Despite tough geographical terrain and hostile weather conditions in the snow-bound and inaccessible remote areas, Ladakh on Monday kept up the trend of a high turnout by recording an overall impressive poll percentage of 71.10.
During the 2014 parliamentary elections, the overall polling percentage in Ladakh was 70.78.Having Kargil and Leh districts, Ladakh has 1,74,618 voters. There are four Assembly segments — Kargil, Zanskar, Leh and Nubra — in the region. The Election Commission of India had set up 559 polling stations across the constituency for smooth conduct of the electoral exercise.
The highlight of the polling in the Ladakh region, which marked the end of fifth and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, was a massive turnout in the remote Zanskar Assembly segment in Kargil district. The segment saw 81.98 per cent voters coming out cast their ballot, followed by 78.6 per cent in the Kargil segment.
However, Leh district witnessed a slight drop in voting as 61.68 per cent of the electorate voted in the Leh segment as compared to 63.67 per cent in the 2014 polls while the poll percentage in the Nubra segment was 67.70.
“The overall voting percentage in the Ladakh seat remained 71.10 and the polling remained peaceful and smooth. There was no major complaint from any part of the region,” Avny Lavasa, Returning Officer of the Ladakh seat, said over the phone.
The fate of four candidates, including Rigzin Spalbar of the Congress, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal of the BJP, Congress rebel and former MLA Kargil Asgar Ali Karbalai and NC-PDP and influential Islamia School-backed Sajjad Hussain Kargili (both contesting as Independents) was sealed in the EVMs.
According to officials, the voting started on a dull note in all segments but it picked up as the day progressed. Ladakhi people, particularly women in traditional dresses, stood in serpentine queues to cast their votes. The mood was quite upbeat, especially in the remote Nubra and Zanskar segments of the region.
If the psephologists are to be believed, the slight drop in the turnout on the Leh Assembly segment could hit the BJP which has been trying to retain the seat.
The saffron party, which was largely dependent on voters in Leh district, had been facing a direct contest from its archrival Congress which had won both the Leh and Nubra segments during the 2014 Assembly elections and made a clean sweep in the civic polls last year.
